How to navigate day off?

[southenglandartist]

Calling other teachers!
How much notice does your school give you in terms of confirming your day(s) off for the next academic later, if you are 0.8 or less?
I've had Tuesdays off for the last 3 years, always been confirmed by now for the next year. Our current new deputy in charge of timetable has said 'nowhere near ready to confirm this yet'. I need to know so I can sort childcare, which is pretty impossible to shift anyway.. any thoughts? Am I unreasonable for asking now when every other year this was always confirmed?

Worked the other way round with us.

Before doing the timetable they asked the part timers when they were available.

This would be ideal, I know previously the timetable has been built around part timers first. I just wondered if there is a time limit to work it all out by? Probably not knowing how disorganised schools can be!

This is how it should be.

I wouldn't necessarily expect the school to be able to confirm days and timetables now however, as they don't know for sure who will be leaving before September yet as some might hand their notice in just after Easter etc.

Your childcare providers is a bit rubbish if they're insisting on knowing now when September is 8 months away...

I think you're a bit early to be asking this. I'm in Scotland so maybe different, however staffing levels had to be decided by LA and Head Teacher. Then number of pupils expected to be in S1 (year 7). I taught English which meant pretty much every child came through our department, but smaller departments might lose staff. That has to be decided too. When I was responsible for the timetable, I didn't get it from the Depute Head until April/May and had to sort out timetables for 10 English teachers, not all who were full time. It then had to be verified by the Depute to make sure there was enough cover time available in the department. I had had a chat with staff about what they wanted prior to this but it wasn't always possible to accommodate everyone.

I've been told the last week of the summer term before, which was outrageous.

I wouldn't expect to hear anything till well after May half term, despite this being after the resignation date if there are any problems with the hours offered. It's a yearly stress, tbh.

Interesting thankyou. Childcare definitely isn't 'rubbish' just very very in demand and fully booked up for god knows how many months! I had to sign up when I was 7 months pregnant for when baby was going to start at a year old, I got one of the last spaces. That's the case for all nurseries in the area. I'm jealous if others have ones with more spaces!

I mean the latest we've had changes to our timetable is in September after the students have started.

In fact it's quite normal for us to have adjustments in September especially to the sixth form timetable (you can never be quite sure how many you will get until they turn up) although one year there was such an almighty fuck up they sent the kids home, spent a day redoing the timetable and then started again.

It's normally done for end of term.

I wouldn't be changing any childcare arrangements (if you even can!) until at least draft 6. Or certainly after last resignation date, which always seems produce the need to completely redo the damn thing,

Thankyou. I'm learning my school has been super organised over the years compared to most, but this new deputy is determined to ruin that reputation! Will have to stick with what I have this year & cross fingers it stays the same!

Apologies didn’t mean to imply your child care was rubbish in that sense. A poor choice of words on my part. However, having been where you are (my children are now secondary school age) I do think it’s not great if providers lack flexibility especially when you are already a paying parent. In my day too, nurseries were booked up before people even got pregnant (ok I exaggerate a bit here!), but they still had enough flexibility in the system to be able to accommodate changes with a couple of months notice.

Thanks, I suppose I can only ask if I need to switch with however much notice work may give me, and then hope! It is a crazy system, we definitely pay enough! I should have asked for the day off to be written into my contract, I know some colleagues have had this. Hindsight is useful now! Only two more academic years till daughter starts school, does it become easier then?! 😂

@southenglandartist I wish I could say it gets easier, in some respects it can do but other ways no!! Getting booked in for the wrap around care with the primary school was always a stress and everyone seemed to want the same days and it was done on a first come first served system in my children's primary school! If you can get your children into the school you work in then it might be much much better - I know someone who did that. Not me, as work in secondary not primary alas! Good luck and hope it works out for you!

See if you can get it written into your contract now? (Or as a temporary "for the next two years"?)

I am secondary too, so I sympathise, I'm going to have this too! Was debating going back full time when she starts school but I very much doubt I'll be at my current school still, SLT are awful at the moment!

That's a great idea! I'm not sure the Head will go for it as she is as disorganised as the deputy, but worth asking I guess!

Ooh sorry to hear that, they bend over backwards at my school to accommodate staff requests if they're reasonable. (But then again, that's why I enjoy working there...)